Always heard from friends boasting about how they bought ton of clothes from Bangkok at a bargain, so I went there with a huge expectation during my first trip this January. Yet miraculously, I only managed to pick up ten clothing items either because I’m too fussy with the quality of clothes or shopped at the wrong places. For this second trip to Bangkok, I went well-prepared with a list of potential shopping places. Thankfully this time round, I lugged back a cabin-size luggage full of new clothes! Same goes for Anders, he found everything he wanted to buy too!
Read on for our shopping guide with some not-your-usual Bangkok spots.
SIAM AREA – INSTAGRAM FASHION STORES
On the way to our hotel at Siam, we spotted some really cool stand-alone Instagram fashion stores. Instagram fashion is similar to blogshop where owners sell their fashion items on Instagram page. It’s awesome having these fashion items in store allowing us to try on and feel the fabric before buying! Also, I learnt that Thai people shopped through LINE app too.
I was first attracted by the shoes display at the window of CAMP BKK! The price of this multi-label store is on the high side at around 1000baht which is not the typical price expected from Bangkok shopping. Nonetheless, I feel that it is worth it for the material used and refined selections in store.
Next, a distinct pink three-storey building, Matchbox, stands out on the street. It contains two storey of fashion items segregated by the Thai Instagram brands with prices starting from 200baht. The spiral stair inside the building lead up to a Pinkplanter Cafe on the top floor.
Nearest BTS: Siam
CAMP BKK Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camp.bkk/?hl=en
Matchbox Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchbox.official/?hl=en
BANGKOK POP-UP MARKETS
During the weekend we were there, we chanced upon two pop-up markets. First one is near Siam Discovery called “Light Up The Sky” by FYI Market which have stalls set up under pretty white tents and felt very inviting. Second one is in a very narrow street beside Siam Square One. Both markets have a good selection of clothing, accessories, crafts and small bites.
Highly recommend you to browse through these pop-up stalls to find unique handmade products and even meet the designers there to learn more about the products. The only downside is when it rain, there will be small flood around the stalls and shoppers might get drenched since area outside the stalls’ perimeter are not sheltered.
Nearest BTS: Siam
FYI Market Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fyimarket/?hl=en
CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET & JATUCHAK GREEN
Chatuchak is an iconic weekend market in Bangkok with plenty to buy. Looking at the map, we already knew we want to focus on the clothing area which in the end took us almost five hours to complete. Thus one can assume even a full day is not enough to complete shopping through the entire market.
Sections 2, 3 and 4 are filled with small boutiques started by young Thai fashion designers and entrepreneurs where you can find well-made clothing and accessories that you may not see elsewhere. This was absolutely our favourite area of the market! A good shopping tip is to be decisive and buy immediately because you may not want to walk back the long route among the organised chaos to locate a specific shop which we tried.
Lucky us, the day we visited was a cloudy day so we were able to enjoy our afternoon there to the fullest. But do be mentally-prepared for the heat on a sunny day, large crowd and bring a big shopping bag to keep all your new wonderful buys! After Chatuchak closes at 6pm, you may wish to visit Jatuchak Green (JJ Green) a vintage night market located beside that is full of locals enjoying their time there shopping and eating. Read about our Jatuchak Green experience here.
CHATUCHAK | Nearest BTS: Mo Chit | MRT: Kamphaeng Phet
Address: Kamphaeng Phet 2 Rd
Opening Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 6pm
JATUCHAK GREEN | Nearest BTS: Mo Chit
Address: Kamphaeng Phet 3 Rd
Opening Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 6pm to 1am
UNION MALL
Just two train stops away from Chatuchak market, you can find Union Mall conveniently located above the Phahon Yothin MRT station which makes a good escape from the hot dreadful weather.
As observed, there are more locals than tourists shopping there which is a good sign for quality stuff and affordable pricing (no tourist trap). The spacious walkway allow us to navigate through the rows of shops comfortably.
Main attraction of this mall is the wide array of male and female fashion items are available cheaply here with prices starting from 100baht. But if you are looking for more unique fashion items, then the options available in Union Mall may seem pale in comparison to Chatuchak. Other than shopping, lots of restaurant and snacks choices are offered here neatly distributed on the different levels.
Nearest MRT: Phahon Yothin (take Exit 5)
Address: 54 Soi Lat Phrao 1, Chom Phon, Chatuchak, 10900 Bangkok
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
PLATINUM FASHION MALL
If you are a hard-core budget shopper, then this is the place for you! Be prepared to spend whole day combing through the many levels in search of great deals. Since prices here are considered awfully cheap and already discounted as affirmed by the sellers, there isn’t much bargaining to do.
Alternatively, if you are a discerning shopper like us who prefer to skip all repetitive goods and avoid the crazy crowd, please go straight to new wing level 3 to shop for women’s clothing and level 4 for men’s clothing. Just these two floor will take you half a day to go through them.
For our male readers, Anders bought lots of locally designed t-shirts and shorts here. So guys, we can safely say Platinum Mall and Chatuchak is probably your best bet for shopping in Bangkok!
Nearest BTS: Chit Lom (10 minutes walk, sheltered skywalk in front of Central World lead to Platinum Mall)
Address: 222 Phetchaburi Road, Thanon Phetchaburi, Ratchathewi, 10400 Bangkok
Opening Hours: Daily 9am to 8pm
SIAM SQUARE ONE
This newly-opened mall was introduced to us by our Thai colleague. Similar to all other Bangkok shopping malls, it is huge! We did not allocate much time for this mall so we only walked the first floor which is filled with smaller stores that sells trendy clothing at a range of price from 300baht. Interesting designs from local Thai fashion boutiques can also be found here. I would love to go back to Siam Square One to shop more next time!
NIGHT MARKETS – TALAD ROT FAI RATCHADA & TALAD NEON
Night markets are definitely one of the prominent features of Bangkok. It’s the place where shopping continues after dark with a wide range of goods ready for your purchase at a bargain. And a good news is that there are more night markets located within the city now, so tourists with limited time will have access to them easily. Here’s a tip, if unsure which direction leads towards the night market, just follow the crowd leaving the train station because there’s a high chance these locals and tourists are also going to the night market.
Read here for our Talad Rot Fai Ratchada experience during our previous trip to Bangkok. It’s a really neat market which is easy to navigate for shopping and nice to chill at the bar.
For our recent trip, we went to a smaller scale Talad Neon with lesser crowd which makes browsing around an ease. Basics here are already pretty cheap but if you buy in bulk (three or more), you can try to friendly haggle for fun.
TALAD ROT FAI RATCHADA | Nearest MRT: Thailand Cultural Centre
Address: Ratcadaphisek Road (near Esplanade Shopping Mall)
Opening Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 5pm to 12midnight
TALAD NEON | Nearest BTS: Chit Lom
Address: Petchaburi Road, Pratunam (10 minutes walk from Platinum Mall)
Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 4pm to 12midnight
Curious where else did we shopped in Bangkok? You can read about our shopping experience at Artbox, Jatuchak Green and Asiatique here.
Share with us in the comment if you have any other shopping spots in Bangkok!
Thanks for reading and sharing! (:
Anders + Cindy
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